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About Marty Elkin

Dedicated to the memory of Martin I. Elkin, the one50one.com website was created to raise money for the Brain Tumor Society, a nonprofit organization tirelessly focused on finding a cure for brain tumors.

Marty was diagnosed with brain cancer in late 1999. He battled this aggressive and debilitating disease with the same passion that he applied to the rest of his life. To say that he maintained a positive attitude and showed courage would be an understatement.

Throughout his life, Marty was passionate and fiercely devoted to the issues and people important to him. The painting to the right provides a poignant reminder not only of his long, dedicated career in the coffee industry, but of the obsession and care that he applied to many other areas of his life—namely, his commitment to providing a good life for his family, an appreciation of art, travel, and good food, and, as many of you might remember, a love of quality conversation and debate. Marty was also a devoted philanthropist, donating his time and resources to numerous causes.
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The Ride

high wheel logoRide date: May 18th, 2008

Deciding to participate in the Brain Tumor Society’s annual Ride for Research on my fixed-gear bicycle stemmed from not only my love of cycling, but the truth that nothing great comes without sacrifice, pain, and commitment. A fixed-gear bicycle has only one gear and does not allow the luxury, or relief, of coasting, much like those old Schwinn bikes that we all used to have when we were little. Remember when you’d be cruising down a hill and the pedals would start to go faster than you could pedal? You would then take your feet off the pedals and whiz down the hill with glee while the pedals whirred around like a blender until the hill leveled off. Well, a fixed gear bike is just like that, only bigger, and you have to go uphill as well. It’s not easy and quite painful at times, but the experience can be tremendously rewarding. Riding fifty miles in one gear is not just a personal challenge, but a symbolic acknowledgment of Marty and the obstacles he faced while dealing with his disease.

 

A few pictures from this years ride...from my cell phone. Next year we'll use a real camera!

This was an amazing day with crystal clear blue skies, 65 degrees, and a beautiful riding route through the countryside. A neat thing about riding fixed gear bicycles is that they make very little sound when riding them. All that can be heard is the sound of the tires on the road...and some very heavy breathing, or panting, as the case may be.

It was very inspiring to ride with the generous donors behind us and all the support we have received. We sincerely thank you all for participating as this is a great cause and you're helping to make a difference. With your help, we have more than doubled the funds raised last year and future rides look very promising.

We ended the ride with a team shout to the heavens calling out to Marty. I'm pretty sure he heard us.

Getting ready to roll...

Team Energy Fitness on the road. Dave, Sean, and Matt cruising along.

Matt chasing down Dave and Sean...

A few shots from our mid-ride break.

One gear! And where's the brakes?
 
Raffle for donors

We would like to add a little fun and excitement to the fund raising this year by offering up a prize to be raffled off shortly after the ride date of May 18th, 2008. This year we are giving away one Saeco Royal Professional coffee maker. This is one serious java maker!

Also included will be a case of some delicious Illy whole bean coffee generously donated by Illy and our friend Laurel.

How to qualify for the raffle:

Donate $100 or more to be eligible. Your name will be entered into the drawing for each $100 that you donate. Ex: a $100 donation puts your name into the drawing one time. A $200 donation puts your name into the drawing twice, and so on.

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